1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to seamless knit tubes for use in forming a body garment and more particularly to a panty garment wherein front and rear panty portions utilize dissimilar slitting and different loop constructions to provide firm support and greater vertical stretch in the rear panty portion than in the front panty portion when the garment is worn.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Garments may be designed to provide special fit characteristics by a change in stitch construction at specific locations. In particular, nether garments formed from a pair of tubular knitted members have been provided with some shaping and stretching characteristics by a change in knitted structure during the knitting operation of the individual tubes. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,824,812, disclosing a panty garment where the panty is knitted with less courses at its lateral portions than at its front and rear portions so as to cause the lateral portions to be drawn together wale-wise so that the lower ends of the lateral portions will be above the crotch of the wearer.
More recently, a panty garment has been developed utilizing first and second circularly and oppositely configured knit tubes to form a front panty section of one configuration and a back panty section of a differing configuration with the yarns knit in stitch loop constructions to permit more vertical stretch in the rear panty section than in the front panty section when the garment is worn.
There is a continuing need to develop garments of this nature having more specific fit characteristics and utilizing more efficient manufacturing techniques, as well as less complicated knitting machinery. It is to that objective that the present invention is directed.